Department for Transport

London Airports

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, after the Commission examining the site of a new runway in the south east makes its recommendations, what further steps are necessary before construction begins.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We will consider the Airports Commission’s full body of work and decide how and at what pace to respond to any recommendation the Commission may make.

European Rail Traffic Management System

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the written answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 2 June (HL49), when Network Rail will complete the impact assessment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS).

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Network Rail have commenced their evaluation, and it is due to be concluded towards the final quarter of 2015.

Large Goods Vehicles

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the last comprehensive review of the damage impact of the heaviest heavy goods vehicles on road surfaces was undertaken.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: A comprehensive review of the effect on road wear of the heaviest goods vehicles permitted to run in normal operations was last done as part of the process before the regulations about maximum permissible Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) weights were last revised in 2000. The Road Vehicles (Authorised Weight) (Amendment) Regulations 2000 permitted the use of 44 tonne vehicles for general use. These vehicles have been permitted in Great Britain since 1 February 2001. Estimates of the road wear attributable to HGVs have been updated periodically, but not comprehensively, most recently in 2014 when road to rail and water mode shift grants were reviewed. A significant piece of research about the potential effects of longer and heavier lorries was published by the Department for Transport in 2008.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Higher Education: Finance

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many undergraduate places were funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England under the Employer Engagement Co-funded Students scheme for employer co-funded additional student numbers in each of the years during which the scheme operated, and at what percentage rates; and what was the total cost of the scheme, including expenditure over and above direct full-time equivalent funding for each student.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Information on the number of recruited undergraduates through the scheme is shown in the table below.   Academic YearRecruited undergraduate full-time equivalent studentsTotal grant after adjustments (all levels of study)2006/07171£557,0002007/08872£2,666,0002008/093,155£10,120,0002009/106,349£18,530,0002010/1111,179£28,998,0002011/1214,020£32,484,0002012/133,542£7,935,0002013/141,019£2,359,0002014/15248£582,000Total40,556£104,231,000 The total grant over the period 2006/07 to 2014/15 was £104million. In addition to the grant after adjustments, £101 million development funding was spent on the scheme between 2006/07 and 2011/12. Employer contributions are only available for the period 2007/08 to 2010/11 and show that the average rate of co-founding from employers increased from 26% in 2007/08 to 41% in 2010/11. Note: Employer contributions are a mix of cash and in-kind, and are sourced from both public and private sector employers.

Department for International Development

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the destruction of the Al-Wafa hospital in Gaza, what assessment they have made of where those with neurological injuries from Operation Protective Edge are receiving treatment; and what level of rehabilitation and specialist breathing equipment is currently available to amputees and those with spinal cord injuries.

Baroness Verma: DFID has supported UK – Med teams to deliver training and workshops to partners’ teams on spinal cord injury rehabilitation, neurological assessment, plastics and burns, and brain injuries rehabilitation as identified by trainers and trainees in the UK-MED / UK International Emergency Trauma Response (UKIETR) project. The training benefitted a number of outreach team members of Handicap International partners, while 42 beneficiaries benefitted from assessment and follow up technical support during UK-Med teams on the job trainings. UK-MED teams indicated that over the course of the project, major improvements have been noted in clinical assessment and in the treatment of complex trauma cases. Post-tests following workshops have consistently revealed significant changes in team confidence in managing trauma.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

EU Reform

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will press for negotiations for the reform of the European Union to include the repatriation of agriculture and fisheries powers to member states.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Prime Minister has started to discuss his plans for EU reform and renegotiation with other EU leaders. He has been clear that the plans involve reforming welfare and immigration rules, increasing economic competitiveness and cutting red tape to create jobs and growth for hard working families, and protecting the UK’s interests outside the euro. It also means halting the constant flow of powers to Brussels including by ensuring a stronger role for national Parliaments.

Cabinet Office

Ministers: Pay

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Ministers did not receive Ministerial salaries in each Parliament since 1985.

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Ministers in each House are unpaid; how this compares with the 2010–15 Parliament; and whether they plan to legislate for all Ministers to receive salaries.

Lord Bridges of Headley: There are currently three unpaid Ministers in the House of Commons and seven unpaid Ministers in the House of Lords. During the 2010 – 2015 Parliament a total of six Ministers in the House of Commons and twenty Ministers in the House of Lords held unpaid roles. There are currently no plans to amend the limits on the number of Ministerial salaries set by legislation.The table below lists the number of unpaid Ministers across the Parliaments since 1985:ParliamentsNumber of unpaid Ministers1 Jan 1986 – 11 June 198721987 - 9221992 - 9721997 - 200182001 - 2005122005 - 2010402010 - 20152612 May 201510 Please note that the Tables of Ministerial Offices from which these numbers are taken have changed in format over the time concerned and there may be gaps looking back over a 30 year period. Therefore, the figures provided from some of the earlier Parliaments are an approximation.

Productivity

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the latest figures for the employee activity rates in (1) Wales, (2) Scotland, (3) Northern Ireland and (4) each of the regions of England.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UK Statistics Reply 
(PDF Document, 64.63 KB)




Referenced Tables 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 17.46 KB)

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Art Works: Islam

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to support a contest in the United Kingdom between artists depicting the prophet Mohammed, and if so, whether they will provide security protection for such an event.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is not aware of any plans. The safety and security of an event is an issue for the event organisers in consultation with the police.

Department of Health

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect the freeze and reduction in alcohol excise duties will have on the targets to reduce alcohol consumption set in the Responsibility Deal.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The previous Government’s alcohol strategy in 2012, set an ambition to reduce the number of adults drinking above the National Health Service guidelines. The percentage of adults self-reporting drinking above the guidelines fell from 21% in 2010 to 19% in 2013 (Health Survey for England).   Under the previous Government, industry committed through the Responsibility Deal Alcohol Network voluntarily to remove 1 billion units of alcohol from people’s drinks by reducing the average strength of drinks. Reducing the strength of alcohol in people’s drinks is expected to contribute to reducing alcohol consumption and harm.   The effect of alcohol duty changes on alcohol consumption is referred to in the policy costing note on alcohol duties published at Budget 2015.   The policy costing note outlines HM Treasury’s calculations for changes in consumption following this year’s Budget changes to duty rates, including a behavioural adjustment costing, as a result in changes in consumption of alcohol in response to a price reduction.   More details on the policy costing note on alcohol duties are attached and available on the gov.uk website at:   https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/413895/Policy_Costings_18_00.pdf   The health impact assessment of the effect cutting of alcohol duty changes on alcohol consumption is referred to in the Overview of Tax Legislation and rates document.   More detail on the impacts of the changes to alcohol duty is attached and available in the Overview of Tax Legislation and rates document:   https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418689/OOTLAR_v8.1.pdf 



Policy Costings
(PDF Document, 1.55 MB)




Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates
(PDF Document, 1.96 MB)

Palliative Care

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why only 19 per cent of NHS Trusts offer palliative care; and what steps they are taking to ensure that (1) pain control is always available in hospitals, and (2) terminally ill patients can converse with their families in privacy.

Lord Prior of Brampton: It is not the case that only 19% of National Health Service trusts offer palliative care. The latest National Clinical Audit of Care of the Dying (2014) showed that, of the 131 trusts surveyed, all trusts offered at least a five-day face-to-face specialist palliative care service, including 21% of trusts offering at least a 7-day face-to-face service. 91% of trusts offered an out-of-hours specialist palliative care telephone service.   Effective pain control is one of the key elements of palliative and end of life care, as noted in One Chance to Get it Right, the report published in June 2014 by the Leadership Alliance for the Care of Dying people. The Five Priorities for Care of the Dying Person, which are set out in that report, state that an individual plan of care, which includes pain relief as part of symptom control, should be agreed, coordinated and delivered with compassion for every person approaching the end of life.   The Priorities for Care also highlight the importance of sensitive communication, and state that discussions involving staff, people nearing the end of life and those close to them should be conducted in a way that maximises privacy.   We would expect NHS organisations and staff to do all that they can to ensure that this happens for all people nearing the end of life.

Carers

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they provide to individuals who stop working to care for elderly and infirm family members.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have legal duties to support carers and this will include many carers who stop working to care for family members. This includes a duty on local authorities to provide information and advice and universal preventative services for carers, as well as individual rights to carers to get an assessment on the appearance of needs for support, plus a right to support to meet any needs assessed as eligible against the national minimum eligibility threshold. The Department has provided £104 million of funding to local authorities for these rights in 2015-16.   Also, the Department has provided funding of £400 million to the National Health Service between 2011 and 2015 to enable carers to take breaks from their caring responsibilities, including £130 million in 2015-16 that is included in the Better Care Fund.   People who care for a disabled person over 35 hours a week who are not in full-time employment or education can be entitled to Carer’s Allowance, as well as income support benefits.

NHS Trusts: Greater London

Lord Harris of Haringey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of the currently projected deficit in 2015–16 and savings targets they are expected to meet in 2015–16 for each NHS Trust in London.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The information requested is not available centrally.   We understand that the National Health Service trust financial plans for 2015-16 are in the process of being finalised in accordance with national planning timetables. It is the responsibility of each NHS trust Board to agree a financial plan for 2015-16, including the level of financial efficiency required to support delivery of the overall financial plan.

Health Services: Staffordshire

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the conclusion of the Staffordshire Distressed Health Economy report by KPMG that there is an "oppressive culture" across Staffordshire with a system in "perpetual crisis mode".

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the change of the senior leadership in Staffordshire health services in the light of the criticism made in the Staffordshire Distressed Health Economy report by KPMG.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Leadership and collaborative working relationships are critical factors in securing sustainable services in any local health economy. The Commissioning Congress has been set up to bring together both clinical commissioning groups and local authority commissioners. The Congress will engage with local providers in developing plans to secure clinically and financially sustainable services in the long term. The priority for all involved is ensuring a viable set of services which will be both clinically and financially sustainable in the future.